May 11

4th Sunday of Easter

Confirmation

Sermon

Easter Life: Following the Teacher

Gordon A. Turnbull

Hymns

We Will Worship

10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord, O My Soul)

Surely It Is God Who Saves Me

God, Be the Love to Search and Keep Me

Anthems

In a Mother's Heart

Savior's Singers Children's Choir

You Are the Branches

Jubilate Youth Choir

Trust in the Lord

Sanctuary Choir

Worship Count

May 4: 8:30: 142; 11:00: 137

Combined Service to Receive Confirmands This Sunday

 

Sunday School will begin early, at 9:30. Children's Handbells will rehearse in the sanctuary at 9:00. The Cherub Choir will not rehearse.

Concert in Memory of Mary Landrum Saturday

Mary Landrum

A concert of remembrance will be presented in our sanctuary at 3:00 p.m., this Saturday, May 10, to honor the late Mary Landrum, lifelong Presbyterian, member of our church for nearly 50 years, professor at King College, and organist and choirmaster at Emmanuel Episcopal Church. Members of the American Guild of Organists and the Bristol Music Club will perform selections on organ and piano, and friends and colleagues of Mary's will offer scriptures and remembrances of her. A reception will follow, given by Mary's children Robert and Harriet, and her longtime caregiver, Susan Tanner. Everyone is invited.

Men's Breakfast This Saturday

Our monthly Men's Breakfast will be held May 10 instead of on the usual first Saturday. Join us in the Fellowship Hall at 8:00 a.m. for breakfast, Bible study, and good fellowship. Bring a friend!

Final Presbyterian Women Meeting till Fall Tuesday

The final spring semester meeting of the Presbyterian Women is scheduled for Tuesday, May 13, at the church. Circle begins at 11:00, followed by Bible study at 11:30, both in room 123. Lunch will be at noon in the parlor. Please join us. If you have canceled stamps for our missionary project, please bring them with you. We look forward to seeing you!

Escape from Egypt through Vacation Bible School

"Wilderness Escape" is the theme of this summer's Vacation Bible School, scheduled for June 9-11, from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. Children ages 4 years through rising sixth graders are invited to join Moses and the Israelites as they flee Egypt and travel to parts unknown. Adults of all ages are invited to play a role in this adventure; call the church office or email Gordon Turnbull at gturnbull@fpcbristol.org to volunteer. Registration forms will become available Sunday, May 11.

Keep Those "Legendary Letters" Coming!

This Monday, May 12, is the deadline for sending in your "Legendary Letters" of recognition and encouragement to be presented to our graduating high school students at our annual Senior Dinner, scheduled this year for Sunday, May 18.

Legendary Letters are written by family and friends to a senior and describe ways in which the senior has affected the writer's life. Letters can share memories, stories, lessons learned, or significant moments. This is a wonderful opportunity to encourage the senior in future plans and faith as well as to acknowledge the beautiful gifts God has given them.

Our hope is that the Legendary Letters will be a collection of love and truth that the seniors can read as they begin a new journey after high school and that will serve as a reminder of the community of faith cheering them on in their journey. Please mail or deliver all cards and letters by May 12 to Katie Arnold at the church.

Everyone is invited to the celebratory dinner, Sunday, May 18, at 5:00, in the Fellowship Hall. Be ready to tell stories about our seniors and to be moved, amused, and maybe even amazed! if you would like to help set up or decorate for this event, please contact Katieat karnold@fpcbristol.org.

We Urgently Need Drivers for Meals on Wheels

 

MOW delivers to about 50 recipients in all. Each driver picks up meals in the Fellowship Hall around 10:00 a.m. and delivers them to an average of six homes. Drivers greet the recipients but do not need to stay and visit.

Volunteers have the pleasure of knowing that they have not only provided food where it is needed but also given the recipients the security of knowing someone will be stopping by that day.

If you are interested in helping, please contact the church or Kay Wiseman (276-466-8710) as soon as possible. Thank you!

Recycle at Haven of Rest and Change a Life

The Haven of Rest Ministries of Bristol has added a recycling service to help finance their work in our community. They are asking us to take our recyclables to one of their two locations, where they will turn trash into treasure in Jesus' name.

Metal items can be taken to the recycling site across the parking lot from the Thrift Store. All other items should be taken to the back entrance of the old Mitchell Powers building at 1215 Fifth Street. The recycling service does not accept glass containers or TVs. They will pick up large loads. To schedule a pickup, call 423-968-2157 or 423-341-5773.

They will accept a wide variety of items for recycling:

Clothing, purses, shoes, belts

Junk mail, newspapers, sorted office materials (paper)

Cardboard boxes, shoeboxes

#1 drink containers, water bottles

#2 plastic milk jugs, detergent bottles

Cell phones, laptops

Computer towers

Printers, empty ink cartridges

VCR

Copper (pipe, insulated wire)

Electric motors

Water heaters

The Haven of Rest Ministries operates the Rescue Mission, which cares for transient men and women; the Light House and the Grace Home, which provide a 36-week Discipleship Program to help men and women with life-controlling problems; Dolly's House, which shelters and cares for women with children; and a food pantry.

Receiving Children's Books for Summer Reading

Through May 10, the Junior League of Bristol will be collecting new or gently used books to be given to the elementary-aged children of Bristol this summer. First Presbyterian Church is one of several locations serving as a collection point for this project. We will have boxes in the Fellowship Hallway and the office hallway for children's books you would like to donate.

Sunny and windy with rain now and then, it's a heedless spring rushing headlong toward summer. This week Aaron Brooks exercises that warm weather creature, the Tiger Cat, and next week David Moore puts the brakes on the grass.

Anyone who wishes to help mow the church grounds may call Randy Cook at 423-956-1541 or email him at npolecook@aol.com. Randy will give lessons in operating the mower to those who ask.

Sunday's music participants: Sanctuary Choir, Savior's Singers Children's Choir, Children's Handbells, Jubilate Youth Choir, Michael Long, violin; Shannan Miller, piano; Jennifer Covington, violin; Dan Kreiss, guitar; Paul Warhurst, percussion; Mark Mervis, bass.

Sunday's music: The congregational music for the combined service celebrating confirmation is of a rich variety from divergent sources. The first song, "We Will Worship Him," was written in 2005 by Brenton Brown, a musician raised in South Africa and educated at Oxford, who now leads music at a church in California. Following this will be "10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)" by Matt Redman, another English songwriter. As part of the prayer of confession we will sing "Holy Lamb of God" by Yusuf Khill, an Arab Christian who worked and lived in Jerusalem. This will be followed by Paul Vasile's black gospel-style setting of "Glory to God." This 2008 composition has already proved to be one of the most popular songs in our new hymnal.

Paul Vasile

The Savior's Singers' anthem, "In a Mother's Heart," recognizes Mother's Day with text from a poem by J. S. Cutler that reflects on God's love for God's children. The musical setting is by Thomas Keesecker. The Jubilate Youth Choir anthem, "You Are the Branches," is a setting of John 15:1-11 by Michael Jothen, an American composer, particularly active in writing music for children and youth. The Sanctuary Choir offertory anthem, "Trust in the Lord," has a text by Jane Griner based on Proverbs 3 and set musically by her husband, Daniel Gawthrop. Gawthrop works full time as a composer and resides in Jonesborough.

Altered schedule for Sunday morning: This Sunday, May 11, the combined worship schedule is as follows: 9:00, Children's Bells in the sanctuary; 9:30, Sunday School; 10:15, Savior's Singers Children's Choir and Jubilate Youth Choir come to the choir room to robe (kids) and warm up; 10:30, worship.

Program of note: This Saturday, May 10, at 3:00 p.m. in our sanctuary, a concert of remembrance will be presented to honor the late Mary Landrum. See the article in this newsletter for details.  

In Our Prayers

Mack Blevins

Sue Cannon

Barbara Daniel

Dorothy Dollar

DeeDee Galliher

Will Hankins

Mary Nell Harris

Sharon Hatcher

Ruth Musser

Nancy Preston

Mary Rice

Brenda Rogers

Virginia Rutherford

An extensive list of prayer concerns, "Pray for One Another," is available for pickup at the church each week.

Birthday Prayer Fellowship

May 11     Will Dollar, Jessica Ratliff

May 12     Elizabeth Sitgreaves

May 13     LaVerne Frazier

May 14     Blake Bassett, James Phipps, Andrew Smith

May 15     DeeDee Galliher

May 16     Katie Combs, Dewey Pendley

May 17     Don Pridemore

Memorial Gifts